New Order 2/5: Rory Hyde & Katja Novitskova

Life on Earth 21st century: Are you sure you are really just a human being? Then what is that halo of energy hovering above you, with a size of a blue whale? Do you want meet him? Do you want to meet the animal you really are, based on your actual energy consumption?
Meet Your Energy Avatar is an installation by architect Rory Hyde (AUS/NL) and artist Katja Novitskova (EE/NL) of a full-sized electroluminescent blue whale, the largest animal ever lived.

With:

Blue Whale

We once had a very direct relationship to our energy use, as with most animals today, it was directly related to our metabolic rate. Asleep we require about 90 watts of energy to ‘run’, to subsist in the Amazon as a hunter gatherer requires about 250 watts. With the rise of civilisation and technology, the modern middle class human in the developed world requires around 11,000 watts to live, which, as physicist Geoffrey West calculates “is more watts than a blue whale … the biggest animal that has ever existed.”

But of course, as we participate in the global mesh network of energy, not all of us end up as blue whales. By answering a couple of questions at the exhibition, you can find out which animal best represents your personal lifestyle. Is it an elephant, dolphin, cow, perhaps even a cat?

Today there is a lot of guilt connected to wasting energy. In a post-carbon world (where energy is fully renewable) we may instead embrace our animal avatars, giving them names and identities of their own. Come and introduce yourself.

About the artists

Rory Hyde is an Australian architect based in Amsterdam since 2009, working across practice, building, research, writing and broadcasting. He has worked with MVRDV, the NAi, and is an editorial advisor to Volume magazine. He recently recieved his doctorate from RMIT University for his research exploring emerging practice models enabled by new technologies and means for collaboration, particularly among small architectural offices. www.roryhyde.com

Katja Novitskova is an Estonian artist, curator and researcher, living in Amsterdam, mainly interested in the ecological and anthropological consequences of the explosion of information technologies and related market around the globe. www.katjanovi.net

New Order series

New Order explores a world in which energy has become a fundamental principle of our society. Five consecutive solo shows feature new works by Dutch and international artists, designers and architects, each responding to various elements of society - such as politics, economy, health, food and experience - which together combine to outline a complete future world. Click here to read more about New Order.

More information

Opening on March 9 from 20.00 to 22.00 with drinks, DJ Boris Becker (new age rhythm'n'bass) and an avatar-quiz. Meet Your Energy Avatar is open from March 10 to July 1. Saturday and Sunday from 14.00 till 18.00. Entrance fee is 5,- for a New Order passe-partout. The three other New Order installations, Mind Igloo, Energy Battlefield, and Radiant Beach are still on view at Mediamatic FABRIEK, situated on the Oostenburgereiland. Visit this page for directions.

New Order is made possible by Mondriaan Stichting, Ministerie van OCW, Gemeente Amsterdam, SNS Reaal Fonds and Stadgenoot.